It has been over half a century since Yoshimitsu Banno and Toho released (in America) Godzilla vs. Hedorah, possibly the most on-the-nose analogical film of the entire Godzilla franchise. The film was a heavy-handed message that humans are rapidly killing the planet with immense amounts of pollution, to the point where an alien lifeform comes to Earth, feeds on the Earth’s pollutant contaminations, and becomes one of Godzilla’s most indestructible adversaries.
The story of the film was originally thought up by Banno after viewing the continuous black smog that draped over larger cities in Japan like Yokkaichi in the late ’60s and early ’70s, along with the bothersome stories of detergent and other chemicals being dumped from facilities directly into the ocean, causing a viscous foam to layer the water and killing sea life in the process. From this, Hedorah was envisioned as a tadpole from outer space, specifically the “Dark Gaseous Nebula,” that would continuously grow as it absorbed more and more of Earth’s pollution.
The Hedorah costume was one of the more unique constructions of the Godzilla film universe, weighing over 300 pounds. First-time suit actor Kenpachirô Satsuma had to use wires to maneuver correctly but still used incredible strength to keep the monster looking as mobile as possible.
Satsuma would suit up more than ten times in different Toho films, including as Godzilla in the ’80s and ’90s. Hedorah was kept interesting throughout the film by having multiple forms, including a sludgy blob-style form, a UFO form, and its walking monster form. When Yoshimitsu discussed the creature’s design, he explained that Hedorah was female and that her eyes were designed to resemble female genitalia, hoping to make the monster unsettling to a more conservative male audience.
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Regarding Godzilla himself, not only do we get to see everyone’s favorite giant lizard use his atomic heat ray to reactivate the giant electrodes that humans needed to dehydrate Hedorah out of existence, but we’re also treated to the one and only time that Godzilla uses his breath to propel himself backward and use it to fly. This was a much-needed moment of levity in an otherwise bleak film that focused harshly on the poisoning and demise of the human race.
Yoshimitsu focused on such a dark story because he wanted the message to hit home for adults, whereas some of the previous Godzilla films had been more geared toward children. Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka was supposedly so upset by the tonal shift that he banned Yoshimitsu from creating any more Godzilla films for as long as he lived, even though Godzilla vs. Hedorah had pretty decent critical success. The animosity between the two put an end to Yoshimitsu’s already-written sequel, and he wasn’t involved with any Godzilla films until he became a producer on the 2014 Godzilla film directed by Gareth Edwards. Unfortunately, he never directed another Godzilla film and passed away in 2017.
Godzilla fans are hopeful for the return of one of his most frightful foes to the big screen. With the negative effects of pollution on the climate and environment over the last five decades, the messaging behind a remake of Godzilla vs. Hedorah would be more relevant than ever. Not to mention how incredible Hedorah could look with the help of the modern world’s CG capabilities. Godzilla’s fight against pollution didn’t stray us from our destructive path in the 1970s, but maybe in the 2020s, he can help us see the error of our ways.
